Updated ,first published
Essendon are under pressure to declare whether the club wants James Hird to return as senior coach, after former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said he would not apply for the job while it appeared Hird’s to lose and Bombers great Matthew Lloyd warned his former premiership teammate’s interest would scare off other candidates.
Hird, 53, said after Brad Scott’s axing on Tuesday that he would love to coach Essendon again, more than a decade after his turbulent stint at the helm ended.
The former Essendon champion’s decision to declare his interest has sparked a fierce debate over whether he should be part of a selection process, having lost out to Scott in 2022, and having been suspended for 12 months by the AFL (covering the 2014 season) for his role in the supplements scandal that crippled the club.
Overall, he won 41 of 85 games as coach between 2011 and 2015.
Hinkley, who was previously offered a director of coaching role at Essendon, on Wednesday urged the Bombers clarify their stance on Hird.
“It looks like, it’s somewhat James Hird’s job … they need to clear the air with that first,” Hinkley said on SEN.
“I don’t think anyone would be prepared to be in the race too deep, unless in some ways you are involved in Essendon with their history. That [clarification] would be important to me.
“It looks like James Hird and then someone else. They have every right to do that, and that’s their call.”
Lloyd described Hird as “the most loved person in the history of the Essendon Football Club”, but also acknowledged fans were divided on whether he should return as coach.
“The hard part is … James is going to scare off a lot [of potential candidates],” Lloyd told Nine News.
“Does the club come out and say he’s in the process or out of the process to get their best candidate? Because it’s going to be difficult for them, because too many won’t want to go for the job.”
Asked whether the Bombers would clarify their position on Hird, a club spokesman pointed to president Andrew Welsh’s comments on Tuesday, when he said the Bombers would run an open process.
“We are not ruling anyone in or anyone out. I am sure there will be a lot of people interested in this role,” Welsh said.
Lloyd said he was confident Hird could galvanise the club but also acknowledged he had not led an AFL program since 2015. Since leaving Essendon he has worked in advisory and part-time football roles, and is now director of coaching at VFL club Port Melbourne. He is also a panelist on Footy Classified on Nine, owner of this masthead.
“He hasn’t been at AFL level for 10 or 11 years versus someone coaching for the last 10 to 15 years, so they are the cons of James,” Lloyd said.
“I think the pros are, since Kevin Sheedy there have been people from outside the club and that’s fine, sometimes the best coaches are that like what Craig McRae has done at Collingwood, Chris Fagan at Brisbane.”
Chris Scott fielded two questions on Wednesday about his twin brother’s demise at Essendon, but flat-batted each. “I just don’t talk about these things publicly,” the Geelong coach said.
He was also asked whether Hird could step into the top role having not been a senior coach for more than a decade. “I think it’d be a question for that person and that prospective club to answer. I couldn’t do it,” he said.
Essendon coaching legend Sheedy said Hird would not waste a third chance to coach the club.
Sheedy, who as a Bombers board director four years ago publicly confirmed he backed Hird when Scott won the job, said Hird could galvanise the struggling Bombers.
“I think he’ll do anything to make sure he gets this right this time around, if he ever gets it,” Sheedy said.
“But he may not get it, there might be people at Essendon that may never want him to coach Essendon. I don’t know who they are, but I think, in the end, the people and the fans most likely do.
“I don’t know what the sort of feeling is around town, but I would think that if he got a chance, he wouldn’t muck this one up. ”
Hird said on Tuesday night he wanted the Bombers to run an “exhaustive process”.
“If the club came to me [and said]: ‘Would you be part of that process?’ I would definitely say yes. That is something I would love to be part of – pit my wares against the other coaches [to find] the best man for the job,” he said on Footy Classified.
“If I’m the best man for the job, yes I would love to do that job, but If I’m not, choose the best man and let’s go forward with this club and make it the best club in the AFL again.”
Dean Solomon, a 2000 premiership Bomber, will be interim coach, with former defender Michael Hurley stepping up from a development role to replace Solomon as defensive coach, the Bombers confirmed on Wednesday.
Scott, in an interview on the AFL website, said his successor would have the advantage of a $3 million war chest to help advance a deep rebuild which has contributed to the Bombers winning only one of their past 24 games.
“We have built a war chest over the last three years of dry powder in the salary cap, it’s going to be really exciting for the football club,” Scott said.
“To have well in excess of $3 million of dry powder to go and acquire players, that’s something that, in the short term, [we could have said]: ‘Gee, we have got to win three or four more games in a year’, [so] you just go and recruit some players at other clubs that are underpaid and bring them in and look for a short-term fix.
“I was never going to be a part of that. And, if the club wanted to go down that path, I would have stepped aside because I don’t believe in that.”
Scott claimed the club’s list boss Matt Rosa and his department believed the Bombers could challenge for a flag within two years.
“I think in pure demographics, I think the list management team, led very well by Matt Rosa, would think that they are probably a year or two away from being genuine contenders, but the job of a coach is to exceed and accelerate that timeline,” Scott said.
Sheedy said he would help Hird, should the 253-game great return to the club.
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Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.
Sam McClure is an award-winning AFL journalist and broadcaster.Connect via X or email.
